First weekend performance of latest release

YATRA was the sole Hindi release of the week gone by and easily qualifies as the shortest ever 'yatra' for a Nana Patekar film in recent times. There was no one aware about the film in the first place, secondly the treatment was so heavy that even intelligentsia didn't have words to describe the film (pun intended) and thirdly the film saw a sparse release. A core art-house film, YATRA tanked even before the first show commenced and would go down as an utterly forgettable film for both Nana and Rekha.

As expected, there was no surprise to see House full signs all around the country for SPIDERMAN 3. As have been the indications so far, it has taken a fabulous start all over. Combined with the fact that it has been released with over 500 prints and has sustained after a bumper first weekend, SPIDERMAN 3 is all set to be a massive hit. Yet again, it is time for Bollywood to sit up and take notice since PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN is arriving on June 01 which means that Hollywood would have a continued presence in the Indian market for weeks at stretch.

Last week's movies

The first week collections of TA RA RUM PUM are out and the least they have done is eradicated the so-called 'flop' tag for the film. A start of close to 18 crores is not what 'flop' films are made of and even if the film now takes an industry standard fall of 50% with every passing week, it would still end up close to 35 crores.

TRRP has earned maximum moolah from Mumbai (4.25 crore +), while in Delhi too it has done well with 2.5 crore coming in its kitty. In Delhi NCR, the film boasts of another 1 crore while Pune at 1.5 crore + and Ahmedabad being close to 1 crore has ensured that the biggest markets for TRRP haven't disappointed.

Having said that, it also has to be monitored closely that how much has SPIDERMAN 3 proved to be a dent in its business, at least in the second week, since the euphoria for this Hollywood offering has been phenomenal. Surprisingly, there hasn't been much exercise done by Yash Raj Films to pep up the proceedings and create further hype about the film so that it can withstand competition from SPIDERMAN 3 and later METRO. A few steps in that direction would have ensured substantial escalation in box office returns.

From the past

KYA LOVE STORY HAI has proved to be a disaster at the box office with a fall greater than 90% in the second week. Yet another big disappointment to the names of Tusshar Kapoor and Ayesha Takia, KLSH got home just 25 lakhs which meant that the film is now ending its run with just a little above 3 crores. With nothing much expected from the DVD market too, the maximum it may earn from this point on is through its music sales and satellite re-runs.

In the industry for around a decade now, one would have expected Tusshar Kapoor to have woken up to good scripts and choose only those projects that actually are helpful to his career. This is why it surprises to see that he has ended up picking up such a clichéd love story as his solo vehicle and ended up only walking a lot of steps behind.

On the other hand the case Ayesha Takia continues to baffle as on one hand she chooses a brilliant script like DOR while on the other hand she doesn't blink before accepting a KLSH! It's nice to be doing mainstream cinema with 'naach-gaana' routine but not at the cost of a KLSH!

After a second week drop of 70%, BIG BROTHER crashed by another 70% in its third week to gain 40 lakhs more. A total in the excess of 6.5 crore is certainly not flattering but considering the fact that the film comes at a time when Sunny is an all time low, there was hardly a multiplex release for BIG BROTHER and the film was sold at throwaway prices, this kind of total is good enough for 'coverage' status.

Priyanka Chopra has luckily come out unscathed since her presence was neither highlighted in the film nor was made as a talking point. Keeping a low profile throughout the promotion and release of the film, she has been left untouched by all from within and outside the industry who have termed BIG BROTHER as an out and out Sunny-Guddu film.

All of this brings to light a film that has actually ended up benefiting everyone in the film, with or without the promotion they got before the film's release. BHEJA FRY. A film that came out of nowhere with hardly 10 days promotion, it now stands as the biggest HIT of the year when it comes to sheer percentage of gains over investment. The film had yet another fantastic week with mere 30% fall in collections and 1.5 crore more coming in its third week means that this Sagar Bellary film has now touched 6 crores.

A consistent run in the first 3 weeks proves that the film has gained massive appreciation and an ever increasing word of mouth. When the biggest of films with biggest of banners are failing to gather such numbers today in spite of releasing at more than 300 cinemas, this small film that is currently running at mere 100 cinemas has created such a storm.

Steady in the list of Top 3 movies that have been in the running week after week, NAMASTEY LONDON had its first sub-1 crore week as it collected 80 lakhs in its 6th week. Taking an expected 50% fall, the film now has a total in excess of 36 crores and should close around 37 crores. The film now marks a hat-trick of box office successes for Akshay Kumar after PHIR HERA PHERI and BHAGAM BHAG

Collections of THE NAMESAKE have started declining now with just about 10 lakhs coming in its 6th week. Looking at making an exit from majority of theaters in a fortnight's time, the film stands at a respectable 4.5 crore. On the other hand VIVAH has gained respect plus created history by refusing to budge down from its enviable position even after completing its Silver Jubilee.

In the week gone by, it ended up gaining more than 20% in its collections over last week with 17 lakhs more coming in. At a consistent rate with which the film is getting richer by 15 lakhs or more week after week, it is now almost impossible to predict the total at which VIVAH would end. At more than 32 crore and still counting, the situation cannot get better than that!

In the future

Anurag Basu and Emraan Hashmi have together given successful films like MURDER and GANGSTER. Ironically they find themselves on the warring end at the box office as their METRO and GOOD BOY BAD BOY release together. METRO has been in news for more than 6 months now with maximum impetus coming during last 2 months. Surprisingly the news hasn't quite turned into immense hype or buzz as would have been expected from a film with a superhit soundtrack by Pritam. Don't expect a 100% opening though a beginning of over 50% is very much on the cards and acceptable too considering the film is about characters rather than heroes.

On the other hand GOOD BOY BAD BOY hasn't quite made a buzz for itself in spite of coming from premium production house like Mukta Arts and boasting of Emraan Hashmi as the star attraction. The film needs to be an out and out laugh riot to make much of an impression at the box office and will depend a lot on word of mouth.